The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming terminals on a core of a surface mount device and, in particular, to an apparatus and method for crimping terminals on a surface mount device core.
Driven by the increased demand for high-speed manufacturing, surface mount components have become key elements in electronics manufacturing. Currently, billions of surface mount components are used yearly.
The most common surface mount components are two-terminal devices, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, fuses, diodes, etc. The terminals of these devices usually consist of a metal plating secured to the core material (which is typically a ceramic or thermoset plastic material). In addition to being process intensive (usually requiring heat treatment), the metallization process for forming these terminals requires the application of additional materials, such as adhesives and solder pastes, over very small surface areas. The increased difficulty in manufacturing is reflected in the manufacturing cost of the component. Moreover, the metallization process of ceramic materials can be difficult to control over small surface areas. An example of a typical surface mount component with metallized terminals is illustrated in FIG. 1.
An adhesive coating (typically a UV cured, visible or heat cured plastic) is commonly added to many surface mountable devices in order to secure connections and to provide a smooth, uniform surface for automated placement devices. Since the coating material can run over the edges of the device, an external mold may be required to provide the uniform surface.